Flower power missing as symbol
It might be time for the silver fern to move over and make way for the ka¯ka¯ beak, writes James Pasley.
We savour our silver fern, marvel at the blossoming po¯hutukawa in summer, and get a kick out of ko¯whai, but bizarrely, none of these is designated as New Zealand’s national flower.
And it’s about time something was done to rectify this, according to the nation’s flora experts.
The silver fern of the ponga tree is widely recognised as a national symbol. It is worn by our sportsmen and women, backpackers and even nearly ended up on our national flag.
But, unlike many other nations, New Zealand lacks an official national flower despite there being no shortage of native options.
Gardeners, taxonomists, botanists and history professors who have discussed the topic say the ko¯whai, po¯hutukawa, ka¯ka¯ beak, Mount Cook lily, or even ma¯hoe could qualify.
Unitec associate professor of plant ecology Peter De Lange said New Zealand was internationally recognised as a biodiversity hotspot, and with 85 per cent of our flora occurring nowhere else in the world, we needed an official national flower.
‘‘A flower helps identify our country in time and space, and ideally it should be something unique to this country,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve got the kiwi, and we’ve got the silver fern, but nobody decided whether we want a national flower, which I do find a little odd.’’
Australia has the golden wattle, the US has the rose, China has the plum blossom, and last year Sri Lanka chose the water lily.
‘‘I’d go for a flower that was only found here, beautiful to most people and which was threatened,’’ De Lange said.
Po¯hutukawa was too closely related to plants across the Pacific and ko¯whai originated in Chile so they should be ruled out, he said.
In comparison, the ka¯ka¯ beak or Ngutu ka¯ka¯ was one of the rarest plants in the world and uniquely ours.
‘‘If Ma¯ori hadn’t cultivated it, it would probably be extinct. They used to wear the flowers in their ears or as necklaces.’’
To keep the plant alive, conservationists have been firing its seeds from a shotgun into cliffs to allow them to grow without being eaten by predators.
Supermodel Rachel Hunter, the ka¯ka¯ beak’s patron since 2013, said only 130 were known to exist in the wild.
Making it our national flower would ensure its survival in New Zealand ‘‘and in our hearts’’, she said.
‘‘With her fiery red flower, she shows the passion of the people of New Zealand.’’
Floral designer Fionna Hill said her would be the world’s largest buttercup – the Mount Cook lily.
They can grow over a metre tall with leaves big enough for trampers to drink out of them.
University of Auckland senior history lecturer Felicity Barnes blamed our lack of a floral symbol on the adoption of the silver fern in the late 19th century.
However, AUT history professor Paul Moon said choosing a national flower was pointless.
‘‘The arguments for such symbolism hark back to a time when countries used such things as an expression of national distinction,’’ Moon said.
‘‘The internet has long since made this sort of identity-creation redundant.’’